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Ir(A alr2o)n oWf eiss
111 Franklin
Corners and
Todd Strand
(#26) of the
6029 Rochester Road I Troy, MI 48085 I 248-828-7474
onceuponachildtroy.com
Today's dollars have to stretch further than ever.
And with kids growing out of their clothes, toys and other necessities faster than
ever, you need a respite.
Once Upon a Child is here to help. The store buys "gently" used clothing,
toys and equipment for resale.
Champs
A Holiday Tradition
Steve Stein
I Contributing Writer
aron Weiss lives in New
York City and works in film
and television production.
He's been in the Big Apple since 2003.
But the 34-year-old former West
Bloomfield resident hasn't forgotten
his roots.
The 1997 Birmingham Groves High
School graduate participates every
year in the Thanksgiving Classic, an
annual 9-on-9 flag football game with
20 Groves grads, most of them Jewish,
that's played at their alma mater.
Weiss helped found the game in
2000 with Todd Strand. They're the
captains of the two teams.
One team is Franklin Corners,
representing the subdivision where
most of the team's players lived. That's
Weiss' team.
Strand's team is the Champs. Why?
Because the team won the first three
Classic games and, as Weiss grudg-
ingly admits, has continued its domi-
nation through the years including a
68-22 win this year.
"The Champs have a decided advan-
tage in the all-time series:' Weiss said.
"But most of the games have been very
competitive. We've had games go into
overtime and be decided right at the
end:"
Winning the Classic is important,
of course, but so is camaraderie and
friendship. Socializing also is a big
part of the holiday weekend.
"The Classic has evolved through
the years into a homecoming game
Weiss said. "Guys come in from all
over the country to play:'
They sure do. At one time, 18 of
the 20 players didn't live in Michigan.
Their homes were in places like New
York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and
Denver.
One day, the logistics of getting
everyone together on a busy travel
weekend won't be so complicated.
"We've had a couple of the guys
move back to Detroit recently, and I
think more will do that in the future
Weiss said.
"They left because of a lack of job
A
opportunities, but we're seeing things
change slowly:'
Classic players range in age from the
mid-20s to mid-30s. They practice law,
sell real estate and work in financial
occupations.
They take the Classic seriously —
"we play a rough version of flag foot-
ball:' Weiss said — but not as seriously
as they once did.
"For the first five years of the
Classic, we played tackle football;'
Weiss said.
Everyone shows up on the Friday
morning of Thanksgiving weekend on
the turf football field at Groves and
gets ready for the traditional 11 a.m.
kickoff.
There was a bit of a problem in
2007.
"People were playing on the field
already, so we had to move the game
to Country Day:' Weiss said.
It wasn't the first time the game
wasn't played at Groves. The inaugu-
ral game was played at West Maple
Elementary School in Bloomfield
Hills.
The weather was cold but clear for
this year's game. That isn't always the
case.
"We've played in a variety of weather
conditions:' Weiss said. "It's been 55
degrees and sunny, it's rained, it's
snowed ... one year we had to clear ice
off the field. We didn't want anyone to
get hurt:'
There's always a good crowd of fam-
ily members and friends at the game,
Weiss added.
"No matter what the weather, they
come out and watch us:' he said.
For those who can't make it to the
game, a professional-quality video is
sometimes produced. And there are
plenty of photos.
There was a substitute player
this year who graduated from West
Bloomfield High School.
Weiss believes it was the first time
someone played in the game who
didn't graduate from Groves.
"That probably was just a one-time
thing:' he said.
❑
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sports@thejewishnews.com .
Troy owners Erin and Peggy Morehouse have 2,800 square feet of
value for your shopping pleasure.
Customers sell their items to us, we price them and sell them.
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Our store is very clean and organized, this helps our customers enjoy their
shopping experience. We purchase toys, strollers, high chairs as well as
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Regular store hours are Monday through Friday
from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.,
Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
and Sunday noon to 5:00 p.m.
If you are not wearing it... sell it!...
or BORROW on it!
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We deal in jewelry, watches, diamonds and coins.
A Service to
Private Owners
Banks & Estate
&pa &pewee,"
Contact Larry Allan
33700 Woodward Ave. • Between 14 Mile & Adams • Birmingham, MI
248-644-8565
December 26 • 2013
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